Between the years 1971-1974, Link Wray entered into a business relationship with Polydor Records that yielded four albums – but no singles (*actually, a small handful). Link’s debut Polydor album, 1971’s Link Wray, found him embracing his Shawnee heritage at a time when popular interest in Native American culture and history was at an all-time peak, as reflected in John D. Loudermilk‘s #1 hit for Paul Revere and the Raiders, “Indian Reservation (Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)” and the release of the (second) Billy Jack vigilante film.
Songs for this album were recorded at Link’s converted chicken coop 3-track recording facility in Accokeek, Maryland, with floorboard stomping and nail can shaking used as rhythmic accompaniment (i.e., no drum kit). “God Out West,” written by drummer, Steve Verroca, is a song that taps into the “God Pop” feeling that was similarly widespread in the early 1970s:
LP Musician & Production Credits
Link Wray – Lead Vocals, Dobro, Bass & Guitar
Doug Wray – Drums, Percussion & Backing Vocals
Steve Verroca – Drum, Percussion & Backing Vocals
Billy Hodges – Piano, Organ & Backing Vocals
Bobby Howard – Mandolin & Piano
Recording Engineer – Vernon Wray
Re-mixing Engineer – Chuck Irwin
Associate Producer – Bob Feldman
Producer – Ray Vernon & Steve Verroca
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I can see the morning sunlight
Through a foggy hazy gloom
Mountains reaching in the sky
These flowers in the desert bloom
I can see the silence in the night
I know they might need a rest
I heard a voice in the wind
He said, “Son, come out west”
Cause the Lord found me a place
Where I should be
High in the mountains
Where I can be free
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Two years later, Link Wray would follow up with Be What You Want To, an album that featured collaborations with such musicians as Jerry Garcia, Commander Cody, Bill Kirchen, Andy Stein, Bill Barlow, David Bromberg, Jules Broussard, and Bobby Black, among others.
Cash Box
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LINK to God Pop on Zero to 180
